Cispersonnages en quête d’auteurice

A troupe of professional performers meet in the rehearsal studio to continue work on a new play. Each of them comes up with scenarios and ideas to break the creative deadlock in which the group finds itself. Caught between their dramatic desires and their many ethical principles, their playing field seems full of mines and their artistic freedom rather limited.

Influenced by debates on political correctness and the identity struggles that have infiltrated the arts, Catherine Bourgeois offers us an original comedy, loosely based on Pirandello’s famous play “Six personnages en quête d’auteur”. With neurodivergent artists, she explores themes such as cultural appropriation, cancel culture and freedom of expression in an open and straightforward way.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MASK-WEARING WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE PERFORMANCE ON SUNDAY, APRIL 27.
This measure is intended to provide a safer environment for immunocompromised members of the audience, allowing them to enjoy the performance more comfortably.

ALL PERFORMANCES ARE ENGLISH SURTITLED. YOU ALSO HAVE THE OPTION TO TRY ON OUR AUGMENTED REALITY GLASSES FOR A MORE IMMERSIVE SURTITLING EXPERIENCE. TOGGLE BETWEEN ENGLISH OR FRENCH. YOUR PREFERENCE! OF COURSE, IT'S FREE OF CHARGE.

ABOUT JOE, JACK & JOHN

Mandate

Joe Jack & John (JJJ) creates engaged and innovative theatrical productions through collective writing by inclusive teams, with professional artists of functional diversity, notably neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities. In order for authentic expression to emerge, JJJ has developed creative processes that are both accessible and ethical, emphasizing interdependence, self-determination and cocreation.  The company uplifts humanist principles, including the leadership of neurodivergent artists, and accessibility for a wide diversity of audience members. By addressing contemporary issues and socially resonant themes, Joe Jack & John works at the intersection of theatre and life, as though one were the extension of the other; a way to interrogate, rummage through, and above all, to take part.

Company history

Joe Jack & John was founded in 2003 with the intention to create impactful, performative, politically-engaged theatre created through inclusive and accessible processes. Over the past 22 years, the company, led by Catherine Bourgeois, has produced 13 original theatrical works, and has been presented regionally, nationally and internationally. Each piece is developed over 2 to 3 years through an approach based on inclusion of artists across a spectrum of dis/ability, and collective creation. Nurturing close-knit teams and long-term collaborative relationships, JJJ is grateful to be a resident company of experimental theatre venue and creative hub Espace Libre, where they create, produce and present their works.

Cispersonnages is JJJ’s third production to be presented in Toronto. In 2018, as part of Progress Festival, Dis Merci, a play about four neighbors getting ready to welcome a Syrian refugee family, was presented at the Theatre Centre and filled the space with its huge inflatable elephant. In May 2022, VIOLETTE, hybrid play of live performance and VR for one audience member at a time, was presented at the Harbourfront Centre as part of Co-Motion. In this intimate format, Violette was able to share her story of abuse and present her imaginary friend, a Crow lady.

Context

Since its inception, Joe Jack & John has contributed to a rich ecosystem of disability arts and inclusive creation in Montreal. Many of the actors who have co-created and acted with JJJ have trained at Les Muses, a professional training program for neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities, which has existed since 2001. Two of the actors in Cispersonnages are alum of Les Muses and have also been creative leaders of JJJ. Michael Nimbley has worked with the company for 18 years; acting in 5 productions, many of which have gone on to tour widely, and one of which, Les Waitress sont tristes, the result of his own artistic leadership residency with JJJ. Edon Descollines has collaborated with JJJ for more than 10 years, and since 2022 has been Associate Artist of the company. He is currently developing his second performance, Trou noir, to be presented next October in Montreal.

Creative process

The idea of Cispersonnages en quête d’auteurice began with the rise of conversations about representation and inclusion, and the impression that the surrounding discourse was not at all accessible to artists working with Joe Jack & John due to complicated and rapidly evolving references and definitions, despite how relevant the conversations were to their lived experience. Catherine was moved to create a process that would first and foremost make the conversation accessible, allowing the creative ensemble to open up a space to discuss and unpack complex and charged concepts such as appropriation, privilege, cancel culture, free speech, consent, legitimacy, and systemic bias. Doubt and dialogue were two driving principles in the creative process – if no one person holds all the answers, every member of the ensemble is able to participate on equal footing. By staying curious and embracing the interweaving of the team across a spectrum of dis/ability, the resulting mutual respect and multiplied perspectives becomes greater than the sum of its parts. The play that emerged from this 2-year collaborative process asks more questions than it offers answers.

After a world premiere at Festival TransAmériques in 2023, Cispersonnages has since had a two-week run in Montreal, was presented at the Centre national des Arts in Ottawa and toured throughout the Greater Montreal area. Upcoming tour dates include Sudbury, Vancouver, Moncton, Caraquette, Québec City and Rimouski.